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Absalom Returns · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And the king said, Let him turn to his own house,
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  Speaker 1: and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned
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  Speaker 1: to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
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  Speaker 1: 2 Samuel 14.24 Lord, through the listening of 2 Samuel,
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  Speaker 1: I now see you as the God of closed doors.
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  Speaker 1: With this as my new viewpoint, I pray that you
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  Speaker 1: continually give me the strength and resolve to keep the
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  Speaker 1: door closed, on unhealthy relationships that you've allowed me to
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  Speaker 1: leave from the story of my life. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: I have a keen eye for the ones who desire
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  Speaker 1: to harbor harmful and wicked thoughts against me and my future.
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  Speaker 1: Allow the gatekeepers in my life to help me recognize
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  Speaker 1: when people are knocking on the door of my new
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  Speaker 1: season only to wreak havoc and bring division and chaos.
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  Speaker 1: My life is too precious to not guard the treasure
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  Speaker 1: that lies within me. Thank you for giving me rich
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  Speaker 1: and refreshing relationships instead. Thank you that when some relationships
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  Speaker 1: are unhealthy, you will point them out and re-close the
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  Speaker 1: door again. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, Stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: Absalom returns. In our last story, we peered into the
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  Speaker 3: difficult relationships within David's family. One of David's sons, Amnon,
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  Speaker 3: raped his half-sister, Tamar. As an act of revenge, Absalom,
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  Speaker 3: her brother, and David's other son, murders him. Now Absalom
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  Speaker 3: waits in Geshur, stewing in bitterness over his father's inaction.
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  Speaker 3: In this story, Absalom will return from hiding after Joab
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  Speaker 3: devised a way to convince David of his innocence, as
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  Speaker 3: inspired by 2 Samuel.
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  Speaker 2: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 2: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, Simply go
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: you for your support. In our prior episode, we learned
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: how David's family began to unravel into chaos as a
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  Speaker 2: consequence of his sin with Bathsheba and as a direct
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  Speaker 2: result of the choice that he made to marry many women.
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  Speaker 2: When his son Amnon raped his own sister Tamar, Tamar
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  Speaker 2: sought refuge with David's son Absalom. who took revenge and
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  Speaker 2: killed his brother Amnon. Absalom hated his father for his
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  Speaker 2: failure to intervene and punish Amnon, and as he lived
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  Speaker 2: in exile, Absalom planned for the day he would return
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  Speaker 2: to punish his father. Today we'll hear of Absalom coming
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  Speaker 2: out of hiding, aided by David's commander Joab, who hopes
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  Speaker 2: to convince David to forgive his son.
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  Speaker 3: Joab watched David's heart wrestle over his banished son Absalom.
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  Speaker 3: David held his head low and had deep sighs of
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  Speaker 3: disappointment when speaking of him. However, David was stubborn and
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  Speaker 3: did not want to send for his son to return,
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  Speaker 3: nor did he think Absalom deserved to return for what
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  Speaker 3: he did. Joab felt the need to intervene somehow so
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  Speaker 3: the sadness would stop. Furthermore, Joab felt a sense of
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  Speaker 3: responsibility over Absalom, since he could quite possibly be king
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  Speaker 3: when David died. Joab sent for an actress from Tekoa,
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  Speaker 3: They met with her in secret and devised a plan
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  Speaker 3: for her to meet with the king over a fake matter.
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  Speaker 3: Joab coached her in what she should say. She would
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  Speaker 3: weave a tale of her two sons in order to
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  Speaker 3: pull at David's heartstrings, and when the time was right,
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  Speaker 3: she would try and convince David to allow Absalom to return.
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  Speaker 3: So the woman dressed in all black as a widow
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  Speaker 3: and mustered up convincing tears to present to David. She
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  Speaker 3: walked into his presence and shouted, Save me, Lord King!
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  Speaker 3: David perked up, concerned with how frantic the woman was.
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  Speaker 3: What happened? David asked as he gestured for her to
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  Speaker 3: take a seat. I am a widow, the woman began
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  Speaker 3: to sniffle. My husband is dead and one of my
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  Speaker 3: sons killed my other son over his inheritance. David folded
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  Speaker 3: his arms and continued to listen to her. The whole
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  Speaker 3: clan desires for me to give my son over to death.
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  Speaker 3: That would leave me with no husband and no sons
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  Speaker 3: to protect me. David leaned over and held her hand.
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  Speaker 3: Go back home. I will send word to help you.
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  Speaker 3: If anybody tries to harm you, I will make sure
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  Speaker 3: they never lay a hand on you. The woman smiled
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  Speaker 3: and placed her hand on David and thanked him. She
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  Speaker 3: stood up, and before walking out, she came back and said, Lord,
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  Speaker 3: please allow me to ask one more thing. Speak, David
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  Speaker 3: said with a compassionate smile. If you would forgive my
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  Speaker 3: son the blood of his brother... Why would you not
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  Speaker 3: forgive your own? she asked. David leaned back in his seat.
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  Speaker 3: He paused for a few moments, tapping his foot on
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  Speaker 3: the floor. He looked at the woman, then back at
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  Speaker 3: the door, then back at the woman again. Come, sit,
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  Speaker 3: he asked the woman, gesturing her to sit down again.
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  Speaker 3: I need you to tell me the honest truth, the
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  Speaker 3: woman nodded. Did Joab send for you to come tell
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  Speaker 3: me these things? Immediately the woman burst into tears. This
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  Speaker 3: time they were real. She had been caught in Joab's lie.
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  Speaker 3: She went to her knees and said, Yes, Lord, it
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  Speaker 3: was Joab. Please do not be angry with me. He
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  Speaker 3: put every word in my mouth so that you would
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  Speaker 3: reconsider bringing your son back home. You are truly gifted
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  Speaker 3: with the wisdom of God. David sent her away and
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  Speaker 3: did not hold the crime against her. It would be
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  Speaker 3: a silly thing for him to hold her accountable for
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  Speaker 3: Joab's conspiracy. David sent for Joab, and the man entered
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  Speaker 3: in before David and sat down. The two of them
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  Speaker 3: stared at one another for a few moments. David was
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  Speaker 3: annoyed that Joab would go to such great lengths to
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  Speaker 3: tell him what he already knew. David sighed and rubbed
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  Speaker 3: his temple. Go and bring back Absalom, David ordered. Joab's
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  Speaker 3: eyes lit up. He could have sworn David would imprison
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  Speaker 3: him for lying. Thank you, my lord, Joab said. He
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  Speaker 3: may come back to the land, but he may not
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  Speaker 3: enter into my presence, David said. And just like that,
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  Speaker 3: Joab left to go return Absalom. Absalom trotted back into
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  Speaker 3: Jerusalem with the sun to his back. People could not
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  Speaker 3: help but marvel at Absalom as he rode back into
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  Speaker 3: the city, for there was no man more handsome in
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  Speaker 3: all of Israel. His physique was chiseled and unscarred from war.
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  Speaker 3: He had long, thick hair that rested on his muscular shoulders.
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  Speaker 3: Absalom returned with his three sons and one daughter. He
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  Speaker 3: and his family dwelled in Jerusalem for two years without
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  Speaker 3: ever seeing David in passing. Absalom dwelled in his house
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  Speaker 3: of bitterness. Even though he was back in Jerusalem, he
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  Speaker 3: still felt like an exile. He would scoff often at
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  Speaker 3: his father's incompetent rulings. and fantasize about what it would
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  Speaker 3: be like to be king. He heard rumors of his
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  Speaker 3: younger half-brother Solomon perhaps being the heir to the throne.
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  Speaker 3: The thought vexed him. Absalom desired to see the king,
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  Speaker 3: so he sent for Joab to set up a meeting. However,
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  Speaker 3: Joab knew better than to speak with Absalom, so he
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  Speaker 3: ignored his messages. Absalom sent for Joab a second time.
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  Speaker 3: Still there was no reply. Finally, he had his servants
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  Speaker 3: venture out into Joab's farm and burn one of his
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  Speaker 3: fields to the ground. The flames were a reminder to
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  Speaker 3: Joab that Absalom was capable of hideous evils, and he
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  Speaker 3: was to be feared. Joab finally came to Absalom enraged
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  Speaker 3: and a bit afraid. Why would you burn down my field,
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  Speaker 3: Joab yelled. Absalom sat in his courtyard casually, paying no
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  Speaker 3: attention to Joab's rage. I sent for you and you
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  Speaker 3: did not reply, Absalom said matter-of-factly. I would not have
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  Speaker 3: come out of exile if I knew I wasn't going
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  Speaker 3: to be able to be in the palace with my father.
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  Speaker 3: Joab gulped, seeing a twinge of madness in Absalom's eyes.
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  Speaker 3: Take me to him. If he finds me guilty, then
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  Speaker 3: he shall kill me. Joab did as he wished and
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  Speaker 3: brought Absalom to David. David watched as his son approached
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  Speaker 3: the gates. He was reminded of how Saul once exiled
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  Speaker 3: him into the wilderness. What a tragic feeling it was
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  Speaker 3: to feel cast off from your family and country. David
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  Speaker 3: welled up with grief as his son drew closer and closer.
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  Speaker 3: Before Absalom could walk any further, David ran to him
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  Speaker 3: and embraced him. He kissed Absalom on the neck and
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  Speaker 3: hugged him. Tears ran down David's cheeks, but Absalom remained motionless.
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  Speaker 3: No amount of affection or conversation was going to change
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  Speaker 3: Absalom's mind. He was going to kill his father.
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  Speaker 2: Today's passage opens with Absalom in exile, banished by his
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  Speaker 2: father for killing his half-brother Amnon. But Joab, David's trusted commander,
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  Speaker 2: could sense the king's sadness. Beneath the anger at his
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  Speaker 2: son was a desire to reconcile, but it was a
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  Speaker 2: very complicated situation. So Joab comes up with a plan.
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  Speaker 2: He hires a woman to pretend to be someone else,
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  Speaker 2: a widow with a dilemma.
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  Speaker 3: Of her own.
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  Speaker 2: Joab gives her all the words to say to David,
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  Speaker 2: and much like Nathan did when he confronted David for
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  Speaker 2: his sin with Bathsheba, the woman's story fools David into
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  Speaker 2: thinking he's ruling on someone else's situation when it actually
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  Speaker 2: gives him clarity for his own. The woman tells David
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  Speaker 2: she's a widow, and one of her sons has killed
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  Speaker 2: the other for the inheritance. Her clan is demanding that
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  Speaker 2: she hand over the killer so he can be executed
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  Speaker 2: for his crime, but this would leave her childless and
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  Speaker 2: without a provider. David has compassion on the woman and
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  Speaker 2: her situation. He tells her to return home and promises
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  Speaker 2: that nothing bad will happen to her or her son.
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  Speaker 2: The woman then asks David why he would forgive her
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  Speaker 2: son but not his own whom he has banished. Then
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  Speaker 2: she says this in 2 Samuel 14 verse 14, We
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  Speaker 2: must all die. We are like water spilled on the
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  Speaker 2: ground which cannot be gathered up again. But God will
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  Speaker 2: not take away life, and he devises means so that
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  Speaker 2: the banished one will not remain an outcast. Her words
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  Speaker 2: were a reminder of God's mercies, and surely David was
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  Speaker 2: reminded that God had forgiven him of his great sin.
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  Speaker 2: And though she would not have known it at the time,
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  Speaker 2: there was also a foreshadowing of the lengths to which
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  Speaker 2: God would go to forgive each of us who are outcasts,
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  Speaker 2: banished from God's presence. But because of his love and grace,
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  Speaker 2: God reached out to us and brought us to himself
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  Speaker 2: and reconciled to us and with us because of the cross.
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  Speaker 2: The Bible tells us that we can be reconciled to God.
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  Speaker 2: David then asked her if Joab had put her up
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  Speaker 2: to this, and she confessed. The king sent her home
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  Speaker 2: and called for Joab. At last, David relented and allowed
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  Speaker 2: Absalom to return to Israel, but he still wanted nothing
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  Speaker 2: to do with him. So his son... and the king
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  Speaker 2: lived apart for two years. They never saw each other.
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  Speaker 2: For all of his wisdom, strength of character, and commitment
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  Speaker 2: to the Lord, David's attitude toward his son did not
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  Speaker 2: reflect the forgiving, patient heart of God. Allowing Absalom to
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  Speaker 2: return but keeping him away at arm's length was even
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  Speaker 2: more injurious than the banishment. It was a constant reminder
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  Speaker 2: to Absalom that his father did not accept him. How
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  Speaker 2: blessed we are. How graced we are. that God our
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  Speaker 2: Father does not treat us this way as his children.
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  Speaker 2: Absalom grew tired of being separated from David, and he
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  Speaker 2: knew that if he were to be king, he would
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  Speaker 2: have to get back into the palace. So he sent
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  Speaker 2: for Joab, who ignored the call twice until finally Absalom
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  Speaker 2: set Jacob's fields on fire to get his attention. I
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  Speaker 2: can only imagine the dread in Joab's heart as he
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  Speaker 2: realized that Absalom, the man who might be king one day,
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  Speaker 2: was capable of such harsh and extreme actions just to
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  Speaker 2: get his way. Unable to ignore him, Joab arranged for
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  Speaker 2: Absalom to return to the palace. And now at last
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  Speaker 2: David received him with open arms and a kiss. But
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  Speaker 2: the damage was done, and Absalom had no love for
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  Speaker 2: his father. His heart was filled with ambition, bitterness, and
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  Speaker 2: hate— a deadly combination. Dear God, through Jesus our Lord, we
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  Speaker 2: thank you that while we were outcast and banished far
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  Speaker 2: from you, that you, as a loving Father, sent your
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  Speaker 2: Son Jesus to welcome us into your arms as we
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  Speaker 2: come to you. We come to you so often, like prodigals,
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  Speaker 2: and like the Father, you welcome us home. Thank you
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  Speaker 2: for your love and for your Son Jesus, who makes
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  Speaker 2: this reconciliation and restoration possible. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 2: And before we go, I wanted to let you know
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  Speaker 2: that the Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come to you each
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: week through the support of listeners like you. Your support
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: today is so important that we want to thank you
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: for your gift by giving you a copy of my
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: book called The Jesus Book. This book is a powerful
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: guide that shows how every book in the Bible points
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: to Christ and how you can better read and understand
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: the Bible and how God's Word transforms our lives. So
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: to get your copy of the Jesus book, simply go
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: you for your support.